Blockchain-Enabled Consent Management in Healthcare: A Framework for Enforcing Privacy Preferences and Regulatory Compliance

Abstract

The digitization of healthcare records and the proliferation of patient data across interconnected systems have raised significant concerns about privacy, regulatory compliance, and consent management. Traditional methods of obtaining and maintaining patient consent are often fragmented, static, and non-compliant with dynamic legal standards such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This paper explores a blockchain-enabled framework for consent management in healthcare, focusing on enforcing patient privacy preferences and regulatory compliance. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature and frameworks, this paper proposes a decentralized consent management architecture leveraging smart contracts and distributed ledger technologies to provide secure, transparent, and tamper-proof consent enforcement. The study also outlines the potential of blockchain to automate compliance tracking, enhance interoperability, and empower patients with granular control over their health data. Recommendations for future research directions and technical challenges are also presented.